Moose wrote:
> As another inveterate searcher for the perfect travel tripod, I also
> have one. I took it to the US NE last year.
> [...]
> The alternative compact tripod I also rather like is the Ultrapod II.
I've got the 'medium' gorillapod and an ultrapod II, and they're good
for different things.
The gorillapod is handy if you're hiking and want to wrap it to a
tree, or a bench, or a railing or whatever -- but if you're hanging
things sideways then the weight will be more likely to flex it.
The ultrapod has a tiny ballhead on top, which is not strong enough to
hold a very heavy lens, but when it _does_ work it's rigid, because the
base has no flex, it's all in the head. It also has a velcro strap which
you can use to wrap around (relatively smooth) vertical surfaces in a
pinch, it'll work fine on lampposts, not so well on trees or anything
that's too large.
Downside of the ultrapod is that you only have so much room to
raise/lower the angle, and if the lens is too long the whole thing can
overbalance.
Summary: both are better than nothing, but personally for travel
tripods, I like this one:
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/147126-REG/Slik_611_465_Compact_Tripod_XL.html
It's not very solid, so you probably still want self-timer to avoid
shake, it takes a while to set up, but it _is_ a real tripod which you
can use on very uneven surfaces, and it's small enough to fit into a
backpack or hang on the outside of a smaller pack, it weighs very
little, it's cheap, and the one I have has lasted surprisingly well.
-- dan
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